Signalling device using store customer&#39;s service numbers



7 Sept. 4, 1956 H 2,761,231

SIGNALLING DEVICE USING STORE CUSTOMERS SERVICE NUMBERS Filed April 21,1953 W W/ 4s INVENTOR 660065 6. HES 8) 6 BY HHHHWHHHHFiiiii {in ATTORNEYUnited States Patent SIGNALLING DEVICE USING STORE CUSTOh IERS SERVICENUMBERS George R. Hess, Washington, D. C.

Application April 21, E53, Serial No. 350,023

3 Claims. (Cl. 40-19.5)

This invention is a signalling device for use in stores or otherestablishments where goods are sold or dispensed to numbers of customersor patrons, having for its primary object to provide means of simplifiedconstruction for the support and maintenance of customer tags in regularor proper order, to be selected successively by the customers todetermine the order in which they are to be waited upon or served by theattendants of the establishment.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a signalling deviceof this character which simplifies the application of the tags to therack as well as to enable the tags to be readily removed therefrom by acustomer or patron, the arrangement being such as to minimize theopportunity of the tags becoming mixed, confused or disordered.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a signallingdevice of the character generally stated which is of extremely simpleconstruction, which may be manufactured, installed and maintained at aminimum of cost, which involves the use of but few separate andrelatively inexpensive parts, and which will prove highly practical andefiicient in use.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending applicationSerial No. 208,543, filed January 30, 1951, for Rack for Store CustomersService Numbers.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which willappear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will bedescribed more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely through aconventional store counter and illustrating as applied thereto asignalling device involving the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken transversely through thetrack and showing the manner in which the track is supported and acustomer tag is maintained thereby,

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary perspective view of track and support andillustrating a slight modification,

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a further modification, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a signalling device showing a stillfurther modification of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, 6 indicates a counter orother support and from which rise the supporting posts 7 for the trackindicated generally at 8. The posts 7 will be maintained in uprightposition in spaced parallel relationship to one another and will besuitably secured at their lower ends in the counter or other support '7.These posts will be maintained in spaced relationship transversely ofthe counter, and the posts support between them the inclined track asindicated at 8. To this end, one of the posts will be longer than theother as shown. Each of the posts is provided at its "ice upper end witha laterally deflected arm portion 9, from which depend connecting bars10 for the track 8. These bars may be secured at their upper ends to thearms 9 and at their lower ends to the track or rail 8 in any desiredmanner, screw threads being illustrated in the present instance. It willbe observed that the supporting bars 10 are of reduced diameter for apurpose to be hereafter detailed.

it will be observed that the track or rail 8 constitutes a relativelystraight elongated member as shown in Fig. l, and is so supported by thestandards or posts 7 as to incline downwardly from the rear end of thecounter or support 6 to the forward edge thereof. The outer or. for wardend of the track 8 is curved upwardly as at 11 constituting a depressedor pocket portion 12. It will also be observed that the lower or forwardend of the track is entirely free and unobstructed, and the same is trueof the upper or rear end of the track or rail.

The customer number or identifying tags are indicated at 13, and in thepresent instance comprise relatively small rectangular plates ofcardboard, metal or any other suit able material, each of which isprovided near its upper end with a transverse opening 14 of a diametersufficiently in excess of the transverse diameter of the rail or track 8to permit free sliding movement of the tags upon the rail or track. Theupper portions of the tags are cut away to provide slots 15 ofrestricted dimension as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be understoodthat an appreciable number of tags 13, all of substantially identicalshape and construction, will be used in connection with the rack, andthese tags will be numbered progressively as will be obvious.

In the use of the device, the attendant will apply the tags to the rearor elevated end of the rail or track 8 in numerical order, and theweight of the tags causes them to gravitate to the pocket 12 where theirfurther gravitational movement will be arrested. The customers orpatrons will successively remove the tags from the upturned andunobstructed end 11 of the rail or track. As the customers or patronsare successively waited upon by the attendant, their tags will besurrendered, and the attendant will immediately place them in regularorder upon the upper unobstructed rear end of the rail 8 Where they willgravitate to the lower end of the track for further use. In this mannerthe tags are kept in numerical order or succession at all times.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing a slight modification is shown, wherein thetrack or rail 8 near its rearward or upper end is provided with anirregularity or depression 16.;

This depression will normally maintain a tag against gravitation, andthus will maintain the tag in elevated position and therefore in plainview of the waiting customers or patrons as well as the attendant orclerk. The patrons, as well as the clerk, are thus made aware of thenumber of the customer being served so that all may judge of the orderin which the other customers may expect to obtain the service. As soonas the customer whose number is indicated by the arrested tag has beenwaited upon, the clerk has merely to touch the elevated tag withsufiicient force as to enable it to clear the depressed portion 16,whereupon it will immediately gravitate to its proper position down thetrack. The tag of the next succeeding customer or patron will then beplaced over the free end of the elevated track and will be similarlyarrested by the depressed portion 16.

It will be observed, particularly with reference to Fig. 2 of thedrawing, that the slot 15 in the upper end of the tag is suflicientlywide to clear the sides of the supporting bars 10 for the track 8, inorder that the gravitation or sliding movement of the tags will not bearrested or impeded.

Fig. 4 of the drawing shows a further modification,

wherein the supporting post for the upper end of the track 8 will beformed integral therewith. It will be understood that the supportingpost for the lower end of the track will be identical with theconstruction shown in Fig. 1. In this form of the invention, the track 8is narrowed or restricted in width as shown at 17 to permit of entry ofthis portion of the track through the slot 15 in the upper end of thetag. It will be understood that the tags will be applied to the track byinserting the portion 17 through the slot 15 and then moving the taglngitudinally of the rail so that the enlarged opening 14 will engagethe full width rail 8 and slide to its destination as described above.

Fig. shows a further modification wherein the rail. is in the form of aloop with a free and unobstructed high end indicated at 18, a low orpocket portion 1 9 and an up turned and unobstructed lower end 20. Inthis form of the invention, the customer may thread or apply his tag tothe rod instead of requiring the clerk to do so. The tag so applied willslide down the body of the loop, indicated at 21 to eventually come torest either in the pocket portion 19 or against such tags as may haveaccumulated at the lower portion of the loop. As in the preferredembodiment of the invention, it will be seen that both ends of the trackare free and unobstructed to permit the ready insertion or removal ofthe tags without difficulty.

Theoretically, each tag returned by the customers or patrons will beimmediately threaded by the clerk onto the track to maintain sequence ofnumbering of all of the tags. Therefore, by this construction the lasttag on the track will bear the last used number and, since the numberswill be imprinted on both sides of each tag, the clerk need only toglance at the number appearing on the last tag on the track to ascertainthe next number tag to call out for customer service. This makesunnecessary a shuffling by the clerk of return tags in order toestablish and maintain the numerical sequence before threading saidreturned tags onto the track, which shuffling would require additionaltime of the clerk to accomplish this result. Therefore, it Will beapparent that by the arrangement here disclosed all tags will be intheir numerical sequence on the track at any given time, excepting thosetags which have been abstracted or removed by the Waiting customers, andhence there will always be a sufiiciency of available tags over andabove the number of waiting customers. This same result is accomplishedby the structure shown in Fig. 5, except that the customer himself, orthe clerk, reapplies his tag to the track when his turn to be servedarrives.

The tags in the present instance, are disclosed in their simplest andmost inexpensive form, that is, of cardboard, thin metal, or syntheticmaterial provided with a suitable opening sufficiently large to permitthe same to be slidingly accommodated by the track. However, it will beunderstood that the tag may be provided with a hook, loop or otherdevice to be slidingly engaged with the track.

I claim:

1. In a signalling device using customer service tags, comprising atrack formed of an elonagted rail, standards supporting said rail ininclined position with both ends of said rail free and unobstructed, adepressed portion in said rail, and tags having openings therein of asize in excess of the transverse dimension of said rail to receive andto gravitate upon the latter and to rest in said depressed portion,whereby the tags may be applied to one end of the rail and successivelyremoved from the other.

2. In a signalling device for customer service tags, comprising a trackformed of an elongated rail, standards arranged in spaced parallelismadjacent to said rail, arms projecting laterally from said standards andoverlying said rail, a bar secured to and depending from each of saidarms, the lower ends of said bars rigidly secured to said rail with theends of said rail free and unobstructed, tags having openings therein ofa size in excess of the transverse dimension of said rail to besupported by and slidably engaged thereon, the said tags adapted to beapplied to one end of said rail and removed from the other, and each ofsaid tags having a slot extending from the upper edge thereof to andcommunicating with the opening therein, each of said slots being of awidth in excess of the lateral dimension of said supporting bars,whereby to permit said tags to slide freely from one end of the rail tothe other.

3. In a rack for customer service tags, a track comprising an elongatedrail, standards supporting said track in elevated position with one enddisposed above the other and with both ends free and unobstructed, a taghaving an opening near its upper end of a size in excess of thetransverse dimension of said rail to slidably move upon the latter, anda depressed portion in said rail adjacent the upper end thereof to beengaged by the walls of said tag openings to arrest the movement of thelatter longitudinally upon said rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS878,193 Derr Feb. 4, 1908 1,371,305 Hanney Mar. 15, 1921 2,036,762Lindstrom Apr. '7, 1936 2,208,152 Bradhord July 16, 1940 2,285,745Ritter Iune 9, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 819,684 France Oct. 23, 1937 162,103Austria 52111. 25, 1949

